Cubs Sign Eli Whiteside to Minor League Contract

The Cubs postedconfirmation of a report they signed catcher Eli Whiteside to a minor league deal. Whiteside’s contract should include a non-roster invite to big league camp so Whiteside can compete for a job backing up Welington Castillo.

The 34-year old veteran, right-handed hitting, backstop last played in the majors in 2012. In 12 games for the eventual World Champs, Eli Whiteside hit .091/.214/.182 with one double. Over the course of five big league seasons, Whiteside has a .215/.273/.335 slash line with 21 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs and a .608 OPS in 208 games.

Eli Whiteside hit .187/.242/.280 with six doubles and five home runs for Triple-A Round Rock in the PCL in 2013.

Eli Whiteside is the second player this off-season to sign a minor league contract with the Cubs that is believed to include a non-roster invite to Spring Training. The Cubs inked outfielder Aaron Cunningham to a minor league deal earlier this month and his contract is believed to include a NRI.